Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am glad you mentioned that, Senator. You have mentioned Kirsten Livermore. Most of her constituents have not heard from her for the last 2½ years. I have to say they have heard from her in the last six months. Most of them come up to me when I am in Rockhampton supporting Scott Kilpatrick, the Liberal Party candidate, and say, ‘There must be an election on, because we’ve heard Kirsten is actually getting out and doing a few things these days.’ In the one media release that I have seen in recent times from Kirsten she criticised the Liberal candidate, Scott Kilpatrick, for being a wealthy person. Would you believe that, Senator? She criticised a Liberal candidate for being a wealthy person. The Liberal candidate happens to be a self-made builder who builds 200 affordable homes for the people of central Queensland every year. He is self-made. I do not know how wealthy he is but, whatever he has, good luck to him. For Kirsten Livermore to attack the Liberal candidate because he is ‘wealthy’ is beyond the pale to me. Think about your leader, Mr Rudd, and his wife, who are multimillionaires. We wonder how they got their money—they are multimillionaires—but, if they have earned it, good luck to them. In the Liberal Party we support people who get out and work. For a Labor candidate to criticise a Liberal candidate because he happens to be wealthy, when you have the most wealthy man in this parliament as your leader—